FCD Juniors lose to CF Monterrey 2-1

The FC Dallas U-18 Academy team
fell to Mexico’s CF Monterrey Rayados 2-1 in a Super Group game of the 2010
Dallas Cup on Monday night. Rayados got a goal in the 26th and 69th minutes
while FCD’s lone goal came in the 59th minute.

“I
didn’t like the first half,” FCD head coach Oscar Pareja said. “I felt we came
out a little bit flat. For some of the boys, this is their first time playing
against the biggest clubs in the world and it was a great experience for them.
Overall, we had a good performance. We competed with them and played a great
second half.”

Los
Rayados controlled possession for most of the opening frame. And before their
opening goal, everyone in attendance knew it was time before the Mexican club
finally made good on one of their many scoring chances of the half.

And in the 26th, it was Fernando Moreno who converted a header to give Monterrey a
1-0 advantage. The sequence started on the right flank when César de la Peña
struck a great cross into the center of the FCD box. Moreno timed his leap
perfectly, winning a battle in the air with an FCD player and headed the ball
into the left side of the net for the tally.

In
the 43rd minute, Moreno had two additional chances to add to the Rayados’ lead.
However, he was denied by FCD goalkeeper Zachery Downes on both opportunities.

While their
spirits were a bit dampened after allowing that goal, FCD had several great chances
to draw things level in the opening frame. Victor Ulloa was denied twice by the
Rayados’ keeper in an eight-minute span. The first time was in the 30th minute
when Ulloa tried to convert a rebound after teammate Ruben Luna was denied by
the opposing ‘keeper, who knocked his shot over the crossbar to set up an FCD
corner kick. In the 38th, Ulloa was stopped cold again in similar fashion.

Even though
Ulloa failed to convert, Pareja had many good things to say about him after the
game’s conclusion.

“He is one of
the players I have high hopes for,” the FCD coach said. “I have invested a lot
of time in him. He has the right mentality. I saw him leading the team out
there tonight. I saw him fighting and being a great two-way player. I hope
everybody else saw that also.”

One thing FCD
did well in the first half was create their fair share of set pieces. The club
had its share of corners and free kicks but was unable to convert any of those
opportunities into goals and the match remained 1-0 at the break.

Things
remained scoreless for the next 21 minutes until FCD finally broke through in
the 59th minute with a goal by Bradlee Baladez. Steven Adams set his
teammate up nicely with a well-placed ball from the left flank. All Baladez had
to do was head the ball squarely, which he did, sending one into the back of
the Monterrey net for the equalizer.

However,
any momentum shift from that tally was short-lived as the Rayados went back
ahead just nine minutes later. FCD’s Jael Barrera was whistled for apparently
taking down Monterrey’s Sergio Soto inside the area. The referee quickly
pointed to the penalty spot and Monterrey’s Fernando Martínez stepped up to
take it. Martínez quickly converted, knocking it into the middle of the canvas
with Downes going to his right.

It
was a call that didn’t exactly sit well with Pareja.

“I
didn’t see any PK,” he said after the match. “I still think [officiating] is a
department to be improved in. There is nothing you can do from the bench when
they call a PK.”

FC
Dallas midfielder David Ferreira was among those in attendance as he was taking
in the game from the far sideline in the first half. FCD head coach Schellas
Hyndman and assistant John Ellinger were also watching the proceedings from the
more-crowded near sideline.